Fifteenth+Welsh+1


 * [[image:http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:0LPszffgNW7_8M:http://www.lonelyvillecoffee.com/_Media/vote_textmedium.jpeg width="106" height="100" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lonelyvillecoffee.com/_Media/vote_textmedium.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.lonelyvillecoffee.com/specialevents/&h=318&w=320&sz=35&hl=en&start=12&tbnid=0LPszffgNW7_8M:&tbnh=117&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvote%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive"]] Amendment 15 [[image:http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:0LPszffgNW7_8M:http://www.lonelyvillecoffee.com/_Media/vote_textmedium.jpeg width="100" height="99"]]**

__**Notes on the 15th Amendment**__

The 15th amendment to the Constitution gave African American men the right to vote. __Section 1:__ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous servitude. __Section 2:__ The congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
 * What is the 15th Amendment?**


 * When was the Amendment made?**
 * The 15 amendment was proposed on February 16, 1869.
 * It was ratified on February 3, 1870
 * The fifteenth amendment was declared part of the Constitution on March 30, 1870

Link to the [|�1�] 15th Amendment Document


 * What was going on at the time in the world?**
 * The Civil War had just ended
 * Ulysses Grant was president
 * This was after Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were both president


 * Why was this Amendment proposed?**
 * Before this amendment was made, only white men who owned property could vote in America.
 * This amendment made it official that men with colored skin would be able to vote and the federal and state government were not allowed to interfere.

"[|The first vote]" A.R. Waud. Wood engraving. 1867. [|Prints & Photographs Division]. Reproduction Number:LC-USZ62-19234


 * What is the controversy of this issue?**
 * After the Civil War, the Confederate States that still wanted slavery and inequality, were not happy when this amendment was passed. And the Union was very happy that this Amendment passed because it moved ahead in getting rid of inequalities for good.

(*The other way an amendment can be proposed is by National Convention, and ratified by 3/4s of states. This has never happened.)
 * How was this amendment proposed?**
 * This amendment was proposed the regular way, proposed by Congress and passed with 2/3's vote, and it was ratified by the Legislatures in 3/4's of the states.

Many issues include that people are unable to vote still more than ahundred years later because of their race or color. For example people in the South people who are eligible to vote just choose not to, while others still can't becuase they do not qualify, even though they are the right age. [this is found in the charts]
 * How does the amendment relate to today?**


 * Other notes**
 * The promise of the 15th amendment was not realized until a full century later. Southern states were able to keep African Americans from voting
 * Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means. It would take the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African Americans in the South were registered to vote. [see charts below for more detailed information]
 * There have only been 17 amendments since 1791

1. Nevada ([|March 1], [|1869]) 2. West Virginia ([|March 3], [|1869]) 3. Illinois ([|March 5], [|1869]) 4. Louisiana ([|March 5], [|1869]) 5. Michigan ([|March 5], [|1869]) 6. North Carolina ([|March 5], [|1869]) 7. Wisconsin ([|March 5], [|1869]) 8. Maine ([|March 11], [|1869]) 9. Massachusetts ([|March 12], [|1869]) 10. Arkansas ([|March 15], [|1869]) 11. South Carolina ([|March 15], [|1869]) 12. Pennsylvania ([|March 25], [|1869]) 13. New York ([|April 14], [|1869], rescinded on [|January 5], [|1870], rescinded the rescission on [|March 30], [|1870]) 14. Indiana ([|May 14], [|1869]) 15. Connecticut ([|May 19], [|1869]) 16. Florida ([|June 14], [|1869]) 17. New Hampshire ([|July 1], [|1869]) 18. Virginia ([|October 8], [|1869]) 19. Vermont ([|October 20], [|1869]) 20. Alabama ([|November 16], [|1869]) 21. Missouri ([|January 7], [|1870]) 22. Minnesota ([|January 13], [|1870]) 23. Mississippi ([|January 17], [|1870]) 24. Rhode Island ([|January 18], [|1870]) 25. Kansas ([|January 19], [|1870]) 26. Ohio ([|January 27], [|1870], after having rejected it on [|April 30], [|1869]) 27. Georgia ([|February 2], [|1870]) 28. Iowa ([|February 3], [|1870]) Ratification was completed on [|February 3], [|1870]. The amendment was subsequently ratified by the following states: 1. Nebraska ([|February 17], [|1870]) 2. Texas ([|February 18], [|1870]) 3. New Jersey ([|February 15], [|1871], after having rejected it on [|February 7], [|1870]) 4. Delaware ([|February 12], [|1901], after having rejected it on [|March 18], [|1869]) 5. Oregon ([|February 24], [|1959]) 6. California ([|April 3], [|1962], after having rejected it on [|January 28], [|1870]) 7. Maryland ([|May 7], [|1973], after having rejected it on [|February 26], [|1870]) 8. Kentucky ([|March 18], [|1976], after having rejected it on [|March 12], [|1869]) 9. Tennessee ([|April 2], [|1997], after having rejected it on [|November 16], [|1869])
 * Order the states passed the 15th amendment**



This is a map during the Civil War of Confederate States verses Union States

The charts below show that even though Amendment 15 was passed, it wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that people of color, race and ethnic groups were really allowed to vote.



This shows the Minority Voting increase after the voting act of 1965, more people voted.



This is a chart of the amount of voting that proves the graph. The gaps columns show that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was what closed this gap.

This graph points out that in certain states the ethnic groups of people can't vote for various reasons in the year 2000.

[|chart in Lubbock] ,Texas shows that the percentage of colored people who were able to vote, increased dramatically after the 1965 Voting Act.

Like color, race, in ethnic groups is a big issue, just because they are Hispanic they had more trouble voting.



notice how Black people always have the most concern.

Current Events [|�6�]Current Event Article Link to see the whole article By Casey Even though it seems unimportant, small numbers of voters in a Presidential election are very important. Whether it's age, color, or race, peoples votes count. In this ACLU case, it was by age and life style choice. Some senior citizens have chosen to travel in their later years and they have been denied the right to vote because they use a commercial address as their home address. It was not just a couple of people, 250 people lost their right to vote in Bradley County, Tennessee. In 2005, [two years earlier] Tennessee passed a State Law that commercial addresses are not allowed to be used to register for voting. This was unhappy news for the natives of Tennessee. Using a commercial address made their lives easier, as it let them return to their home state for short amounts of time every so often. They were very displeased that their right to vote was taken away from them. For example, Ronald Teel, a client of the case thought that it was unfair that he wanted to explore the nation in a mobile home and he is not allowed to vote because he used a commercial address instead of having a home address.
 * ACLU of Tennessee Files Lawsuit to Protect Retirees’ Voting Rights**

I think that this is a problem for a lot of eligible voters. They should be able to vote, they just don't have a home address in order to register. I have to take the side of the seniors, they don't want to be held down just so they can vote, they want to travel and be able to do something. This situation seems to go completely against the 15th amendment because this amendment intended to make eligibility to vote less strict. Even though it is a law to have a residence in order to vote, it is not fair to these people. I feel bad for them. They have to choose between their right to vote, or their life. I would have a very tough time in that position. I hope that those people find a way to vote with out being stuck in a home, and still get to fulfill their lives as travelers.

[|Current Event]**ACLU Wins Historic Agreement in South Dakota Voting Rights** **Case** By Alexa A South Dakota county has agreed to federal supervision of its elections thorough 2024. This settlement resolves a 2005 ACLU lawsuit charging Charles Mix County with discriminating against Native American voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Here is another example in March 2003, the ACLU settled a similar lawsuit to the other one against Wagner Community School District over an election system which denied Native American voting strength in elections for school board. Under that agreement the school then agreed to use the alternative system that resulted in greater Native American Representation. I think that this is a problem because people shouldn't be denied the right to vote and denied a vote because of their color, race, or age. In the article they stated that 2 people were not allowed to vote because of their race and their color. I feel bad for them. I hope that people will not judge people and deny them because of their color, race, or age.

Current Event- Aj By Aj The Florida democratic national committee is being sued by senator Bill Nelson. He accuses his own party of violating the rights of 4 million Florida state voters by not allowing delegates at the national convention. This violates the voting rights act which was created to protect voters from racial discrimination. Since most democrats in Florida are black it will be prejudicial against them to read more about this case go to: http://www,nytimes.com/2007/10/4/us/polotics04florida.html